1. Field
The embodiments discussed herein relate to an image scanning apparatus and a control method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image scanning apparatus is an apparatus that scans an original image such as a document, a picture or a film, and converts the scanned image into digital data. The digital data may be shown on a computer monitor or printed out by a printer and be generated as an output image. Such an image scanning apparatus may be a scanner, copier, facsimile, or an MFP (Multi Function Peripheral) where the functions of a scanner, copier and facsimile are integrated in one apparatus.
An image scanning apparatus uses a light source for emitting light for performing scanning. For example, cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFLs), xenon (Xe) lamps, or light-emitting diodes (LEDs) may be used as the light source.
Due to the risks posed to the environment by CCFLs or Xe lamps and the shortcomings of CCFLs or Xe lamps such as low efficiency and high power consumption, LEDs are becoming more widely employed as light sources for image scanning apparatuses.
The temperature of LEDs gradually increases as the LEDs emit light. Since the performance and lifetime of LEDs depend on the temperature of the LEDs, a heat dissipation plate may be provided in an image scanning apparatus using LEDs as light sources. The size of the heat dissipation plate may be determined by the amount of heat to dissipate from the LEDs. Accordingly, in the case of using high-performance LEDs, a large-size heat dissipation plate may be needed to adequately dissipate heat. However, the use of a large-size heat dissipation plate may lead to an increase in the manufacturing cost of an image scanning apparatus, and it is difficult to secure enough space for accommodating a large-size heat dissipation plate in an image scanning apparatus.
To address these problems, an array of a plurality of low-performance LEDs may be used as a light source for an image scanning apparatus. However, the low-performance LEDs may not be able to uniformly emit light, and also may contribute to an increase in the manufacturing cost of an image scanning apparatus.